


Channel's Origin on Earth

by Chromite



Series: Chronicles of Channel [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Horror doesn't last, It'll be happy overall, Making people smile, Post-Episode s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Rescue, Shady buisness, Slight horror aspect, life on earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-04 15:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21199838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: The story of a green Spinel named Channel, and what her life is like after coming to Earth.





	1. The Arrival and first months

>It had been three months since Steven had gone to Homeworld to talk to White Diamond about curing corrupted gems back on Earth. Three months since gemkind had entered a new Era, one where gems were more free to choose their roles, to live how they wanted to, go where they wanted to, without fear of being shattered by the Diamonds.  
>Many gems decided to make a more peaceful life on Earth. Some decided to help build a new town specifically for gems,t hat would later be dubbed Little Homeworld. Other gems decided to try and make it on their own, among the humans in their human cities.   
>One such gem was a green Spinel, Facet Ch4 Cut NN31. She had started using the name Channel after coming to Earth. She was a curious little thing, a four leaf clover gem located on her chest covered by a white vest, a short green skirt coming down to her knees, white and green striped socks running down to her squeaky shoes, each one with a four leaf clover fastened where the laces would have been. She had two round green shoulder poofs at the shoulders of her white vest, her long stretchy arms poking through them, hands clad in thick green gloves. Her hair was styled into four heart shaped pigtails, making her head look like a four leaf clover from a strait on view.   
>Channel loved exploring the Earth, loved discovering what it had to offer. She walked everywhere in the town she had chosen to live in with a smile on her face, enjoying the smells of the restaurants in the streets, bringing laughter to children and adults alike in the park with silly tricks, juggling, bouncing, cartwheels, and jokes. Entertaining and making people smile on her own terms made her happy, made her feel fulfilled.   
>Channel did other things of course. She was fascinated by the artworks she saw in galleries, the sculptures, the paintings, and the abstract. She started dabbling in artwork herself, and while she wasn't very good with it yet, she still enjoyed the process of creating, still enjoyed the reactions she'd get from the people that saw her stuff.   
>Unfortunately for her, her joy would not last forever. Channel had been living on Earth for three months, bringing smiles to people and enjoying herself thoroughly. But her nature, her appearance, had caught the attention of a shifty individual. A man down on his luck, a crafter of art and good luck charms, had taken notice of her gem shape. "I must have that stone for myself. It'd make the perfect centerpiece of the ultimate good luck art project! I must get her to relinquish it to me."  
>The man had approached Channel, he had been so kind towards her. "Excuse me miss? May I ask where you got that lovely stone on your chest?"   
>"This? It's my gemstone! I've always had it!" Channel had replied in a cheerful tone.  
>"Is there a way I can get it, or one like it?" the man asked.  
>"Sorry.....but I can't give it up. It's a part of me. I don't know if you could get one like it either." Channel's face had fell a bit as she spoke. She hated disappointing people, but there really wasn't anything she could do or say.  
>"Oh.....that's okay. Sorry for wasting your time." The man had slunk away while thinking. "Niceties won't work on her. She knows something, she knows how to get another, I know she does. There were too many people around to take it by force. I'll need to observe her and wait for an opportune moment."  
>The man started observing her closer from a distance. Started writing down her schedules, her habits, her hobbies. Every moment she wasn't in her private living space, he recorded, analyzing it, looking for the perfect opportunity to make his next move. For the perfect chance to take the clover gem by force.   
>The man's chance came soon enough. A week into his observations, Channel stayed out much later than she usually did. The town had gone mostly quiet as night fell. The streets were mostly deserted, everyone was either at home, or in a local bar or club drinking, dancing, and enjoying themselves.   
>The man made his move, quickening his pace to catch up with Channel as she walked down the dimly lit street. It didn't take the man long to catch up with her leisurely pace. With a lunge, he tackled her to the ground, pushing her into a dark alley as he clawed at her gemstone. "Give it to me now, or I'll make you give it to me!" he shouted out in fury and desperation.  
>Channel shoved the man off of her with her stretchy arms, scrambling to her feet as the man was shoved back a few feet. "Get off me! Help! Someone help!" she shouted out as she turned her back on the man and started running out of the alley, her shoes squeaking rapidly as she moved.   
>"Oh no you don't! I warned you greeny!" The man sneered as he pulled a knife from his pocket and threw it at the fleeing Channel's back.   
>Channel's eyes widened in terror as she felt the sharp object pierce her back, the blade lodging deep into her. She could feel her form start to break apart from the damage, tears falling from her eyes as she collapsed to her knees, her limbs stretching out and coiling up as she fell. "No.....not like this.....not like this......"  
>A puff of green smoke billowed out as Channel's form gave way, leaving only her gemstone behind, floating in the air for a moment before it clattered to the ground. The man approached the gemstone with a maniacal laughter, scooping it up off the ground and holding it with glee in his hands. "Finally, it's mine! I don't care what happened to her, she got what she deserved! Time to make my masterpiece."  
>The man had rushed home, to where he had supplies already laid out in anticipation of when he finally got what he was after. He placed her gem into a lump of clay, molding it around her gem and within a large horseshoe, to get as close of a shape as he could.   
>Once the clay was molded within the horseshoe, he removed it, Channel's gem still within. He threw the clay into his kiln, to let it harden into a more permanent shape. While the kiln was running, he got to work on the other parts of the charm. He took the large horseshoe and wielded fourteen metal seven shapes to the horseshoe, forming a rounder semi-circle with fourteen spots to place things, one in the direct middle of the horseshoe, and thirteen along the outer edge. The top of the charm was left empty, to allow a place to place a hanger on the object. The metal parts of the charm was painted green, green rabbit's feet were hung in ten of the holes, with another eleven hanging on the underside of it, dangling from the charm and allowed to sway in any breeze that happened along.   
>In the final two holes, the man placed double sided mirrors, shaped into clovers and hung with care. The mirrors were intended to glint in the light and catch the attention of passing people, to draw them to look at the charm, and by extent his store he'd be hanging it in.   
>The kiln finished, the green glazed clay was ready to be removed. With a grin, the man removed the hardened clay from the kiln, admiring the shining green clover gem at the center once more. He allowed the clay to cool before he moved it again, setting the clay into the center hole of the charm, fastening it in with fast acting glue.  
>The man smiled at his handy work. "Ah, it's truly a masterpiece! Absolute perfection! This is sure to bring me luck and customers!" Still smiling, the man went to bed to rest for the day. He couldn't wait to hang the creation up in his store.  
>Little did he realize, his creation had other thoughts. Channel had become conscious within the charm. She could feel the air moving around the rabbit's feet. Through the mirrors, she could see the world around her. She desperately wanted to scream out once more for help, but with nothing to use as a mouth, she was unable to release her fear, her frustrations.  
>As the charm was hung up in the window of the man's store, twirling around and drawing people's attention in, Channel was there. Hoping someone would realize what she was. Hoping someone would free her from the prison forced upon her. Watching those she had once made smile pass the shop by, not realizing she was within the object they paused to admire.   
>Channel's hopeful mind began to turn as the days passed into weeks, the weeks into months, the months into years. The longer she stayed in the charm, the less she thought of how she would get free, and the more she thought about what she'd to to the man once she was. From within her prison, a single dark thought kept her from losing her mind as she watched the man close up shop every day over the course of those years through the mirrors that served as her eyes. "Your luck will run out, sooner or later......and I'll be there when it does. Sooner or later, I'll make you pay for what you've done."


	2. The Chance Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking in the city in her spare time, Comfy Pearl happens upon a shop, where a strange object catches her eye.

>It was a lovely sunny day. With her husband at work, her daughter in school, and her own tasks around the house done for the day, Comfy Pearl found herself walking through the town she lived in, a smile on her face as she moved from street to street. Usually when she went to town, it was with a goal in mind, food that needed buying, picking her daughter up from school, delivering a lunch her husband had forgotten, and other such tasks. Today, she had none of that in mind, leaving her free to wander to some of the streets she didn't normally travel.   
>Comfy Pearl found herself enjoying her browsing looking through the windows of some shops, going into others and browsing around for a little bit before moving on. "I wonder if I can find Cerise something cute, or find something my beloved would look great in......or something he'd like seeing me in. It's been too long since I surprised him in the bedroom." she giggled to herself at the thought. She could already imagine Anon's face blushing as she stood in front of him in something new, ready and waiting for him to gently remove it from her body.   
>Comfy Pearl's thoughts came to a halt as she passed by a larger store, a large "Grand opening" sign hanging on the upper portions of the building. Within the store, dozens of different pieces of arts, paintings, sculptures, and other crafts were strewn around. But it wasn't the stuff on the shelves that had her attention.  
>Comfy Pearl's eyes widened as she looked upon an object hanging in the window. It was painted green, made out of a large horse shoe and fourteen different metal sevens, forming a semi-circle shape and thirteen different holes. Within ten of them hung green rabbit's feet, with an additional eleven hanging under the structure. In two of the other three, two small clover shaped mirrors hung, twirling around as the charm itself spun from the hanger at the top most hole on the object.   
>None of those things were what got Comfy Pearl's attention. What drew her eyes to it, what made her form shiver in fear and anger, was the large faceted green clover shape in the middle of the object. "Is that......a gem?! Is that a gem stuck in that thing?! How?! Why would someone DO something like this!? I......if that's a gem, I can't leave her like that! I have to find out what's going on here." With those thoughts in mind, she took a moment to collect her emotions before entering the store. She'd get to the bottom of what was going on, one way or another.  
>Entering the shop, Comfy Pearl took a few glances around as she made her way towards the register at the back of the shop. The shop itself was well furnished, the shelves looked sturdy, plenty of space to walk around, and baskets were places around the store so people could grab a basket easily wherever if they needed one. Much to her relief, the shop was mostly empty, just her and the man at the counter were present. "I'm glad people are still at work and this place is still new, or this place would be fuller, and it'd be more difficult to talk about what needs to be said."  
>The man at the counter looked up at Comfy Pearl as he heard her footsteps echoing through the store. His hair was long and black, ending at his shoulders. The mustache under the man's long thin nose was thin and curled. His brown eyes were fixated on her form, scanning her up and down in a way that made Comfy Pearl feel uneasy, like she was being analyzed for a project. He wore a light green short sleeved shirt that looked like it had been worn for many years, the sleeves frayed at the ends, a clover and horse shoe icon fixated on his chest.   
>"Welcome to the Lucky Craftsman, lovely lady. What can I help you with today?" the man asked in a tone that sounded like a mix of playfulness and cunning to Comfy Pearl, sending another shudder through her form.   
>Comfy Pearl took a deep breath and let out a sigh before she started. "Sir, I couldn't help noticing the.....unique charm hanging in your front window. Do you know much about it?"  
>"Of course I do, I made it!" the man proudly proclaimed. "Some of my finest work, and quite the attention grabber. It took me months to carve the center stone out, but it was well worth it. It's brought in customers loyally for fifteen years now."  
>Comfy Pearl shuddered at the mention of how long the object had been with the man. "I doubt that's carved stone, it's too flawless for that. Fifteen years......that poor gem, being stuck for so long. I hope she's not conscious about what's happened to her." she thought to herself as she continued her conversation with the man. "Must have been a lot of work to carve that thing."  
>"It certainly was! Broke a few tools in the process, but you've seen the results yourself!" the man continued to boast, confident he had the strange red woman in front of him in awe.   
>"Time for the easy approach." Comfy Pearl thought to herself as she faked a cheerful smile. "It's certainly impressive! Would you consider selling it?"  
>The man's smile faltered a bit. "S-sorry miss, I could never. The centerpiece means everything to me, I can't....just part with it."  
>"Figures. A different approach perhaps?" Comfy Pearl mused to herself. "What if......what if you popped the carved stone out? The charm itself is what I'd really like."  
>The man flinched a little. "If I did that, I'd be without my special charm. I.....don't think so miss."  
>"Maybe a little sympathy will swing him to pop the gem out." Comfy Pearl thought to herself as she looked at the man with pleading eyes and lied to him. "Oh please sir, it's be perfect! My daughter's birthday is today, and she loves things like that. Please, won't you help me out? Certainly a man of your talents could make a new body for the center stone in a day, you'd have your attention grabber back up by tomorrow, or even today if you wanted!"  
>The man let out a sigh. Comfy Pearl's words were swaying his heart, but his greed and his knowledge of how he had really came by the center of the charm were weighting on his mind. "I'm......sorry miss, truly, I am. Perhaps you could come back tomorrow? Take home one of my other creations, and I'll have a replica of the Grand Fortune crafted for you by tomorrow."  
>"Almost, but not good enough." Comfy Pearl cursed to herself as she looked at the man and his smiling face. She was ready for her final attempt. "Isn't there any price you'd take to give it to me today? I assure you, money isn't a problem for me....." she trailed off as she leaned forward, making her sweater droop away from her body and revealing the top of her gem to the man.   
>The man's eyes widened a little as he noticed the gem at her chest. "Is that.....a large pearl? That thing must be worth a fortune. If she's loaded enough to have that on her body.......no, it's not worth it. That charm has brought in a fortune, and will bring me more money than she could possibly offer. I can't risk breaking the luck of it now." the man thought to himself before he replied, in a somewhat stern tone. "Miss, I told you I'm not selling that one today. Either come back tomorrow for a replica, buy something today, or kindly move on."  
>"Nice isn't going to work here." Comfy Pearl cursed to herself. "Time for a more direct approach." Her demeanor shifted from her usual cheerful nature into a more stern expression. "Listen up mister. I know you didn't carve that stone in the center of the charm."  
>A chill ran through the man's body as he swallowed hard. "I....I don't know what you're talking about."  
>"Oh, I think you do. I'm not human. You've likely figured that out by now. This thing on my chest." Comfy Pearl pulled her sweater down a little more, revealing half of her gemstone to the man. "This is a part of me. Every Gem has a gemstone at the core of his or her being. I think you've got a gem trapped in that thing."  
>Dread welled up in the man as he faked anger at the accusation. "How.....how dare you! I spent a lot of time working on that stone, and you have the nerve to claim I stole it?! Get out, now, before I have you arrested for slander and disrupting my business!"  
>Comfy Pearl let out an annoyed sigh as she took another look around the shop, finding it to be still empty. "Fine, I'm going." She took a few steps away, before spinning on her heals and lunging at the man with her right hand balled into a fist. "But NOT without that gem!"  
>Comfy Pearl's fist connected with the man's face sending the man flying back a bit and knocking him out cold. She made her way behind the desk, looking down at the man's sprawled out form in disdain before she dug in her pockets, pulling out a few five dollar bills and stuffing them into the man's green pants pocket. "That's more than you deserve, you scum. Stars help you if there's really a gem in that thing."  
>Comfy Pearl grabs a few bags from behind the counter and makes her way to the front window, gently taking the charm with the gem inside it down. She runs her fingers across the surface gently while whispering out. "I'm sorry, if you're a gem, you'll be free soon. I'll let you out when I get home, when Anon and Cerise are present.."  
>Comfy Pearl wrapped the charm up in a few bags before stuffing the wrapped up mass into the last bag, then exited the store. Her footsteps were quick upon the pavement as she rushed away from the store and towards her home, eager to get it indoors, working through what she wanted to say to her husband and daughter before she pulled the gem out and discovered if it was a Gem or not.  
>Little did she know, from within the charm, Channel had seen the exchange with the clover mirrors that had served as her eyes for fifteen years. Relief flooded through her mind as she felt herself get carried, relief and a thirst for vengeance. "Finally....someone noticed me. Someone's going to let me out! I'm going to be free! Just wait business man. You'll be seeing Channel again real soon. We're gonna have fun when I'm walking around again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Channel is on the road to freedom. Also, more Comfy Pearl, as this first story is for setting up writing interactions between Channel, Comfy Pearl, and the family.


	3. The release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfy Pearl and her family gather together to free a gem trapped in a lucky charm.

>By the time Comfy Pearl got home from her excursion in town, it was time to go pick up Cerise from school, and close to the time her darling Anon would be coming home from work. Comfy Pearl briefly considered sitting the bag with the charm and the potential gem on the table, but she soon decided against it. "Can't risk my husband coming home and finding you alone, just in case. I'm sure you'll forgive me for wanting to make sure my family stays safe. I don't know how you'll react when you're freed if you are a gem." Comfy Pearl whispered to the charm within the bags before setting it in the back seat floor. "Time to go pick Cerise up from school. She'll be so happy to meet you if you're a gem, she always loves meeting new people and learning more of her gem heritage."  
>Within the charm, Channel was still aware of what was going on. Thoughts were passing through her mind as she remained aware of what was going on around her. "What's a husband? What type of gem is a Cerise, and why wouldn't she know about gem stuff already? I want to be free already.....please, let them pull me out soon."  
>The drive to Cerise's middle school was a relatively short one. Comfy Pearl couldn't help but smile as she saw her daughter dashing quickly and excitedly to the car, her short red ponytail bouncing and her bright pink dress flowing as she moved with a speed that rivaled the best of the school's track team. Even though she lacked a gem, Cerise had still inherited some of Comfy Pearl's strength, speed, and durability, as well as the dust manipulation her mother so often utilized when she'd clean the tighter corners of the house.   
>Comfy Pearl's smile widened as she watched her peach skinned daughter set her backpack in the floorboard of the front seat before loading into the car and buckling herself in. "Hey sweetie, how was middle school today?"  
>Cerise rolled her eyes a little, but still smiled. "It was alright mom, but the homework they're assigning is brutal! I didn't know seventh grade was going to be this hard!"  
>Comfy Pearl couldn't help but let out a light laugh. "I'm sure it's for a good reason. Maybe your father can help reassure you it's no worse than what he had to go through when he gets home from work." Then her expression shifted into a more serious one as she pulled away from the school and started heading back home. "I hope he gets home quickly. I....I have something I need to talk to you both about."  
>Cerise looked at her mother in confusion. She wasn't used to hearing her mother's voice in such a strange tone of seriousness and worry. "Mom.....is something going on? Is it bad?"  
>Comfy Pearl let out a light sigh. "It's not bad, for us at least......I think I......found something, or rather someone, trapped today. I won't know for sure until I try to free her, and if she has been trapped.....I don't know how she'll react when she reforms."  
>"Wait, you found a gem?!" Cerise's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and excitement. "Ooooh, what's she like? Where is she? Wait, what you you mean, reform?"  
>"Come on sweety, you remember how I talked to you about gems and their forms. You've seen mommy's gem without her form before, remember? That rough sudden storm that....." Comfy Pearl shuddered thinking about that day. She still remembered how scared she had been, dragging herself, Anon, and Cerise into a crevice of the landscape they were strolling through, the sudden vortex that had touched down, and covering her husband's and daughter's body with her own. She could still remember how stressed and tired she had felt when the storm passed, the strain of keeping her family from being lifted into the tornado and the storm being too much for her to handle, and how worried she had been within her gem as she was trying to gather the energy and strength she needed to reform.  
>Comfy Pearl still regretted that her daughter had had to find out about gems reforming at that young age, and that it was her father that had had to tell her about it. Cerise's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Oh, right. Did she.....did the gem you found go through something similar? Using herself to protect others I mean."  
>"I won't know until we free her. I don't know if there's even a gem in what I picked up, but the stone is much larger than human cut gemstones. I couldn't take the chance. We'll be waiting for your father to get home, and then we'll find out together."  
>"I hope she's okay. I can't wait to meet her, it's been so long since I've met a new gem!" Cerise spoke out enthusiastically once more, bringing a fresh smile to Comfy Pearl's face. "You're such a good kid, you know that?"   
>"Good enough for some cookies before dinner?" Cerise grinned mischievously.   
>Comfy Pearl let out a sigh before ruffling her daughter's hair as she pulled the car into her driveway. "One cookie only. Don't want you spoiling your appetite."  
>"You're the best mom!" Cerise gave her mom a little hug before unbuckling her seat belt, retrieving her backpack, and heading towards the door of the house. Comfy Pearl smiled as she watched her daughter bounce excitedly in front of the door, eager to get to her promised cookie, before she turned her attention to the back seat of the car, retrieving the bag that had the gem wrapped up within it. "Welcome to my home. Whoever you are, if you're someone, you don't have long to wait now. You'll be free soon." she whispers out, before carrying the charm to the door, pulling her keys back out of her pocket, and unlocking the door. Now all she had to do was wait for her husband to get home, and she could finally find out if her actions had been warranted, or gone too far.  
\-------  
>When Anon came home from work, Cerise rushed to the door to hug her father tightly before she started dragging him towards the dining room. "Dad dad dad! Welcome home, come on, come on! We've been waiting for you to get home!"   
>"Woah, wait a minute, waiting for what? What's going on?" Anon looked at his almost teenage daughter in confusion.   
>"Mom thinks she.....ah, she should tell you! Just come on, pleeeeeaaaaase?" Cerise looked at her father, her green eyes staring at him pleadingly.   
>Anon sighed before he chuckled. "Oh alright, you know I can't say no to those eyes. Let's go see what's so important."  
>Anon and Cerise made their way to the dining room, where they found Comfy Pearl waiting at the entrance. Comfy Pearl shared a kiss for a moment, holding each other close in their arms, while Cerise turned away and whispered out "Grooooss, so mushy."  
>"Hello dear, did you have a good day at work today?"   
>"I did, how about you, how'd your day go? Our daughter said you've both been waiting for me?"   
>Comfy Pearl faltered a little. "Well.....yes. I think I.....well, come look at what's on the table, it'll be easier to explain this way."  
>Comfy Pearl led her darling husband to the kitchen table. At first, Anon wasn't sure what he was suppose to be looking for as his eyes scanned the table for anything out of place.   
>As his eyes fell upon the charm Comfy Pearl had taken from the store, he felt a chill run through him as he focused on what was embedded into it. "Honey.....is that a gem?"  
>"I'm not sure. I haven't tried to free her yet but....I'm pretty sure it is."   
>"You want to try freeing her, don't you?" Anon asked, more of a formality than anything else. He knew how his wife thought and felt. "Why wait for me?"  
>"Mostly so she didn't get shocked when you came in, if she is a gem. I wanted us all here together, to reduce the chance of anything going wrong. If something does go wrong, take our daughter and run, as fast as you can. I don't want either of you hurt."  
>Anon began to protest, but pushed it aside, instead opting for a more positive outlook. "I'm sure nothing will happen. Come on, let's let whoever it is out."  
>Comfy Pearl smiled at her husband before turning her attention towards the charm on the table. Her fingers grasped at the stone as she tried to pull it free, the hardened clay cracking and crumbling away as the whole centerpiece pulled free from the horseshoe it was lodged into. "Well, that's one part freed." Comfy Pearl muttered to herself before she readjusted her grip, both hands now firmly on the clay as she tried a new approach.  
>Slowly but surely, Comfy Pearl started pulling chunks of the hardened clay away from the gem, working her way from the edges of the mass towards the gemstone itself, carefully prying pieces off and slowing down as she drew closer to the shining green clover gem. From within the room, Anon watched the process nervously, while Cerise was giddy with excitement.  
>Once Comfy Pearl managed to break the clay away from a part of the gem, the rest of the hardened clay was quicker and easier to remove, sliding off of the gem in larger sections. As the last bits of clay were removed, the clover gem flew out of Comfy Pearl's hands, floating through the air and traveling a short distance away before the stone started glowing brighter.   
>From the gem sprouted a vague humanoid form. To the surprise of Comfy Pearl and her family, the gem settled into the form's chest before the other features started coming in. A short skirt formed around her waist, dropping to her knees with a few tattered edges along the lowest portions. Long stripped stockings formed on her legs, running from her shoes and up under her skirt.  
>The form's shoes took on a strange appearance, the toes of the shoes twisting upwards into a sharp point on each foot, little four leaf clover charms appearing briefly towards the tops of the shoe, so smooth and pristine before they started breaking apart, the leaves of the charm becoming rough and jagged, but still clover shaped. The shoulders of the figure started out round, like two smooth orbs, but soon stretched out into two short points. Four heart shaped buns formed on her head for a moment in a clover arrangement, before the buns started lengthening out behind her head and becoming rougher, stretched out of the heart shapes they had been in and now flowing wildly in pigtails.   
>As the form started taking color, Comfy Pearl let out a little gasp of surprise as she saw two black lines forming under each of the gem's eyes, as her green colors started solidifying on her body, her eyes the lightest part of her form, but still harboring a lot of emotions within them, a mixture of anger, relief, surprise, and excitement as she once more looked around at the world through her own eyes instead of through the mirrors.   
>"Where.....where am I?" Channel asked cautiously as she looked around the dining room she was standing in, her eyes lingering on Anon and Cerise for a moment before they fell on Comfy Pearl. Tears started welling up in them as she reached out towards the red Pearl. "You.....you let me out. You let me out! You saved me!" Her tears fell freely as she wrapped her arms around Comfy Pearl's body a few times.   
>Anon stared in disbelief at the display. He had seen gems stretch out their forms before, but never without the accompanying body glow, never so far, and never to hug his wife. Comfy Pearl was taken aback by the gesture, lost on what she should do before settling on hugging the gem back as she patted her on her back. "There there, it's okay. You're safe now. You're free."   
>A few moments of light sobbing from the green gem passed before Comfy Pearl asked her next questions. "Can you tell us who you are, and what type of gem you are? I've never seen a gem shaped like yours before."  
>"S-sure. I, I'm a Green Spinel, Facet CH4 cut NN31. B-but I started calling myself Channel here on Earth." Channel spoke out nervously as she unwrapped her arms from around Comfy Pearl. "Who....who are you three?"  
>Comfy Pearl smiled before she started gesturing towards her family. "The tall man over there is Anon Veiledor, my loving husband. This is our daughter, Cerise. As for myself, I kept my gem name. I'm Pearl Veiledor, but my friends call me Comfy Pearl. You knit sweaters for them all one time.....but that's not important right now. You're what's important right now."  
>"I...I am?" Channel spoke out, unsure of herself.  
>"Of course you are." Anon interjected at this point, looking at his wife apologetically for a moment before he continued. "Channel was it? You must be so confused after spending who knows how long in that thing. Do....is there anyone on Earth you'd like to contact?"  
>".......fifteen years." Channel whispered under her breath, causing Comfy Pearl to tense up a little and speak out in surprise. "I,,,,,what did you just say?"  
>"I.....I know exactly how long I was stuck. It's been fifteen years." her form shuddered as she kept talking, tears coming back to her eyes. "I.....I could SEE and feel everything going on around me, through the cursed mirrors that were on that fu....freaking charm. I....watched as human after human passed me by, stared right at me, and did nothing! How.....how could they just leave me there all that time?!"  
>Comfy Pearl was at a loss for words. "I....I don't know. Humans and Gems haven't interacted much at all until the last fifteen years, but.....but that's not much of an excuse. I'm surprised nobody once thought to try and get you out.....or maybe they did." Comfy Pearl's thoughts turned back to the vile shopkeeper she had hit to claim the charm that held Channel's gem. "Maybe they couldn't convince the person who trapped you into giving you up to them. I.....I myself used less than peaceful methods to set you free. I...I'm sorry. If I had known you'd been trapped that long, I would have let you out sooner."  
>Channel shook her head. "No.....don't apologize. You....you did free me, and.....and I get wanting your.....family? I get wanting those you care about around. I.....even if I made my way back to where I was.....I didn't have close friends. I performed for people but.....I doubt any of them remember me now. I have....nobody. Nobody to contact. Nobody that'll care that I'm free again."  
>Channel's eyes widened in surprise for a moment as she felt two little arms wrap around her body. She looked down and found Cerise hugging her tightly. "You have us now. We care, right mom, right dad? She should stay here with us!"  
>Channel looked down at the young girl in disbelief while thinking to herself. "There's no way.....no way I'll get to stay. I'd just be a burden like this......"   
>Anon and Comfy Pearl shared a glance, at each other first, then looking at Channel and how their daughter was hugging her tight and trying to make Channel feel loved. They both knew exactly what needed to be done.   
>"Of course she can stay with us, for as long as she needs." Anon spoke with kindness in his voice.   
>"It's her choice though. Do you want to stay with us Channel? Would you like to be a part of our family, for however long you want?" Comfy Pearl followed up, asking her question as she looked at Channel with a warm smile.  
>Channel couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You.....you don't mind? I....I won't be a burden on you all?"  
>"Of course you won't. We're happy to help someone in need, human or gem." Comfy Pearl replied without hesitation.   
>Channel's legs stretched out under her, causing her to slump down. Relief and happiness washed over the gem as the tears in her outfit healed up and the black tear marks faded away. "Yes.....I want to stay. Please, let me stay, I, I'll do whatever I can to repay your kindness!"  
>Comfy Pearl knelt down and wrapped her arms around both Cerise and Channel. "Welcome to the family Channel."  
>"Yay, new sister!" Cerise smiled and giggled in glee within her mother's arms.   
>Anon joined the trio, wrapping his arms around them all as best as he could. "Welcome to your new home Channel."  
>The four celebrated the new family member by taking turns hitting the charm Channel was trapped in with hammers, until it was thoroughly broken apart and thrown in the trash.  
>So it was that Channel came to live with Comfy Pearl and her family for a time. Channel didn't know what the future held, or what difficulties she'd face, but with a family to support her now, she knew she could get through it all, no matter what life threw at her. It would be a long road for her to readjust to life on Earth, and to get back her full cheerful nature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three part Channel Origin story comes to a close. Yet her tales have only just begun.


End file.
